Impact of the seasonal variations of composition on the temperature field of Titan’s stratosphere     

Sébastien Lebonnois  Frédéric Hourdin  David Luz 《Icarus》2003,163(1):164-174

We investigate the role of seasonal variations of Titan’s stratospheric composition on the temperature. We use a general circulation model coupled with idealized chemical tracers that reproduce variations of ethane (C₂H₆), acetylene (C₂H₂), and hydrogen cyanide (HCN). Enhancement of the mole fractions of these compounds, at high latitudes in the winter hemisphere relative to their equatorial values, induces a relative decrease in temperature above approximately 0.2 mbar, with a peak amplitude around −20 K, and a relative increase in temperature below, around 1 mbar, with a peak amplitude around +7 K. These thermal effects are mainly due to the variations of the cooling to space induced by the varying distributions. The ethane, acetylene, and hydrogen cyanide variations affect the cooling rates in a similar way, with the dominant effect being due to ethane, though its latitudinal variations are small.  相似文献   

A coupled microphysical/radiative transfer model of albedo and emissivity of planetary surfaces covered by volatile ices     

Janusz Eluszkiewicz  Jean-Luc Moncet 《Icarus》2003,166(2):375-384

A new model of albedo and emissivity of planetary surfaces covered by volatile ices in the form of porous slab-like deposits is described. In the model, a radiative transfer model is coupled with a microphysical model in order to link changes in albedo and emissivity to changes in porosity caused by ice metamorphism. Preliminary results for Triton, Pluto, and Io are presented (the martian CO₂ caps will be the subject of a separate publication). The coupled model will aid in the interpretation of ground-based and spacecraft observations and should lead to advances in surface and atmospheric modeling.  相似文献   

Transport of ionizing radiation in terrestrial-like exoplanet atmospheres     

David S. Smith  John Scalo  J.Craig Wheeler 《Icarus》2004,171(1):229-253

The propagation of ionizing radiation through model atmospheres of terrestrial-like exoplanets is studied for a large range of column densities and incident photon energies using a Monte Carlo code we have developed to treat Compton scattering and photoabsorption. Incident spectra from parent star flares, supernovae, and gamma-ray bursts are modeled and compared to energetic particles in importance. Large irradiation events with fluences of 10⁶-10⁹ erg cm⁻² at the conventional habitable zone can occur at a rate from many per day (flares from young low-mass parent stars) to ∼100 per Gyr (supernovae and gamma-ray bursts). We find that terrestrial-like exoplanets with atmospheres thinner than about 100 g cm⁻² block nearly all X-rays, but transmit and reprocess a significant fraction of incident γ-rays, producing a characteristic, flat surficial spectrum. Thick atmospheres (?100 g cm⁻²) efficiently block even γ-rays, but nearly all the incident energy is redistributed into diffuse UV and visible aurora-like emission, increasing the effective atmospheric transmission by many orders of magnitude. Depending on the presence of molecular UV absorbers and atmospheric thickness, up to 10% of the incident energy can reach the surface as UV reemission. For the Earth, between 2×10⁻³ and 4×10⁻² of the incident flux reaches the ground in the biologically effective 200-320 nm range, depending on O₂/O₃ shielding. For atmospheres thicker than ∼50 g cm⁻² in the case of pure Rayleigh scattering and ∼100 g cm⁻² in the case of O₂/O₃ absorption, the UV reemission exceeds the surficial transmitted ionizing radiation. We also discuss the effects of angle of incidence and derive a modified two-stream approximation solution for the UV transfer. Finally, we suggest that transient atmospheric ionization layers can be frequently created at altitudes lower than the equilibrium layers that result from steady irradiation and winds from the parent star. We suggest that these events can produce frequent fluctuations in atmospheric ionization levels and surficial UV fluxes on terrestrial-like planets.  相似文献   

Saturn's cloud structure and temporal evolution from ten years of Hubble Space Telescope images (1994-2003)     

S. Pérez-Hoyos  A. Sánchez-Lavega  J.F. Rojas 《Icarus》2005,176(1):155-174

We present a study of the vertical structure of clouds and hazes in the upper atmosphere of Saturn's Southern Hemisphere during 1994-2003, about one third of a Saturn year, based on Hubble Space Telescope images. The photometrically calibrated WFPC2 images cover the spectral region between the near-UV (218-255 nm) and the near-IR (953-1042 nm), including the 890 nm methane band. Using a radiative transfer code, we have reproduced the observed center-to-limb variations in absolute reflectivity at selected latitudes which allowed us to characterize the vertical structure of the entire hemisphere during this period. A model atmosphere with two haze layers has been used to study the variation of hazes with latitude and to characterize their temporal changes. Both hazes are located above a thick cloud, putatively composed of ammonia ice. An upper thin haze in the stratosphere (between 1 and 10 mbar) is found to be persistent and formed by small particles (radii ∼0.2 μm). The lower thicker haze close to the tropopause level shows a strong latitudinal dependence in its optical thickness (typically τ∼20-40 at the equator but τ∼5 at the pole, at 814 nm). This tropospheric haze is blue-absorbent and extends from 50 to 100 mbar to about ∼400 mbar. Both hazes show temporal variability, but at different time-scales. First, there is a tendency for the optical thickness of the stratospheric haze to increase at all latitudes as insolation increases. Second, the tropospheric haze shows mid-term changes (over time scales from months to 1-2 years) in its optical thickness (typically by a factor of 2). Such changes always occur within a rather narrow latitude band (width ∼5-10°), affecting almost all latitudes but at different times. Third, we detected a long-term (∼10 year) decrease in the blue single-scattering albedo of the tropospheric haze particles, most intense in the equatorial and polar areas. Long-term changes follow seasonal insolation variations smoothly without any apparent delay, suggesting photochemical processes that affect the particles optical properties as well as their size. In contrast, mid-term changes are sudden and show various time-scales, pointing to a dynamical origin.  相似文献   

Microwave observations of Saturn's rings: anisotropy in directly transmitted and scattered saturnian thermal emission     

David E. Dunn  Lawrence A. Molnar  Imke de Pater 《Icarus》2004,171(1):183-198

We present a new Very Large Array (VLA) image of Saturn, made from data taken in October 1998 at a wavelength of λ3.6 cm. The moderate ring opening angle (B≈15°) allows us to explore direct transmission of microwave photons through the A and C rings. We find a strong asymmetry of photons transmitted through the A ring, but not in the C ring, a new diagnostic of wake structure in the ring particles. We also find a weak asymmetry between east and west for the far side of the ansae. To facilitate quantitative comparison between dynamic models of the A ring and radio observations, we extend our Monte Carlo radiative transfer code (described in Dunn et al., 2002, Icarus 160, 132-160) to include idealized wakes. We show the idealized model can reproduce the properties of dynamic simulations in directly transmitted light. We examine the model behavior in directly transmitted and scattered light over a range of physical and geometric wake parameters. Finally, we present a wake model with a plausible set of physical parameters that quantitatively reproduces the observed intensity and asymmetry of the A ring both across the planet and in the ansae.  相似文献   

Scattering properties of planetary regolith analogs     

Jennifer L. Piatek  Bruce W. Hapke  William D. Smythe 《Icarus》2004,171(2):531-545

The physics of scattering of electromagnetic waves by media in which the particles are in contact, such as planetary regoliths, has been thought to be relatively well understood when the particles are larger than the wavelength. However, this is not true when the particles are comparable with or smaller than the wavelength. We have measured the scattering parameters of planetary regolith analogs consisting of suites of well-sorted abrasives whose particles ranged from larger to smaller than the wavelength. We measured the variation of reflectance as the phase angle varied from 0.05° to 140°. The following parameters of the media were then deduced: the single scattering albedo, single scattering phase function, transport mean free path, and scattering, absorption, and extinction coefficients. A scattering model based on the equation of radiative transfer was empirically able to describe quantitatively the variation of intensity with angle for each sample. Thus, such models can be used to characterize scattering from regoliths even when the particles are smaller than the wavelength. The scattering parameters were remarkably insensitive to particle size. These results are contrary to theoretical predictions, but are consistent with earlier measurements of alumina abrasives that were restricted to small phase angles. They imply that a basic assumption made by virtually all regolith scattering models, that the regolith particles are the fundamental scattering units of the medium, is incorrect. Our understanding of scattering by regoliths appears to be incomplete, even when the particles are larger than the wavelength.  相似文献   

日本通信综合研究所的时频研究     

孙宏伟 《时间频率学报》1999,22(2):118-122

1996年以来 ,日本通信综合研究所 (简称CRL)在时频方面的研究取得了显著的成绩。其中主要包括 :光抽运铯频标的研制 ;亚太地区卫星双向时间比对网的构造 ;长波授时台的建立。此外还阐述了该所的其他一些时频研究活动  相似文献   

地籍信息系统图形处理的几个问题     

张桥平 《测绘工程》1998,7(2):64-67

对地籍信息系统中地籍图的显示与变换、注记、地籍实体的捕捉等的实现进行了探讨,运用一些有效的算法,取得较好效果。  相似文献   

    

Li Xingsheng  Zhou Jianqiang  Li Zhe  Fang Xiumei  He Zhuanshi  Farn Parungo 《大气科学进展》1998,15(1):63-73

Combining the Penn State/NCAR mesoscale (MM4) model, the dust transport model and an atmospheric radiative transfer model, a super duststorm process occurred in the Gansu province on 5 May 1993 has been simulated. Based on the observations of duststorms occurred in the northern China and the field measurements of dust particles' physical and optical properties, model simulating dust plume transport processes and dust particle radiative forcing have been devloped. The models are described and verified with real cases of dustorms.  相似文献   

大气密度方程   总被引：4，自引：0，他引：4  

张学文 《气象学报》1998,56(3):377-382

通过一个思想实验把大气密度的时空分布函数与一个概率分布函数联系了起来,又利用最大熵原理导出了一个新的全球大气的方程,即大气密度方程。文章给出了它的通解并指出等温大气的压力高度公式是它的一个特解。对这个新的理论思路,新的方程和它的应用潜力作了初步讨论。  相似文献